site.btaFebruary 5, 1951: State Ballet School Opens in Sofia

The first ballet school in Bulgaria, the State Ballet School (later State School of Choreography), was officially opened on February 5, 1951. Anastas Petrov, the founder of Bulgarian ballet, came up with the idea for the school, and he and Russian ballet teacher Vladimir Belyi established one. Belyi became the school's artistic director. 

The school was inspired by the Bolshoi Theatre's ballet academy and there were specialized dance and art classes alongside general education classes. Some of the most famous figures in Bulgarian ballet taught there, including Nina Kirazieva, who became director of the National Ballet in 1961, and prima ballerinas Lyuba Kolchakova and Valya Verbeva of the Sofia National Opera who passed on their knowledge and skills to new ballet talents in Bulgaria. In 2001, the State Ballet School celebrated its 50th anniversary and was granted national institution status, becoming the National School of Dance Arts (NUTI). 

Here is how the event was covered in BTA's Central Information bulletin.

The country's first state secondary ballet school opened today.

Sofia, February 5, 1951 (BTA) - A ceremony was held in the capital today before noon to mark the opening of Bulgaria's first state secondary ballet school, modelled on the Bolshoi Theatre's ballet school in the USSR.
Those in attendance included the Vice-Chair of the Committee for Science, Art and Culture, Georgi Mihaylov; the Director of the National Opera, Stoyan Stoyanov, the Chief Ballet Master of the Opera; N. Holfin, the distinguished artist of the Turkmen SSR; the Soviet film and theatre director, People's Artist of the USSR and winner of the Stalin Prize, Boris Babochkin; the Rector of the State Music Academy, Prof Georgi Zlatev-Cherkin; and artists and students from the ballet school and the National Opera.

In his speech, Georgi Mihaylov stated that the opening of the State Ballet School in Bulgaria would contribute to the gradual and continuous replenishment of our national ballet with young, qualified personnel.

The school's artistic director, the renowned Soviet ballet master and teacher Vladimir Belyi, presented a comprehensive overview of the school's upcoming activities. The school accepts boys and girls aged ten who have completed the third grade. The curriculum includes general education subjects taught in secondary schools across the country, as well as specialised subjects. The school will offer classical, character and historical dances; dances of the peoples of the Soviet Union; Bulgarian folk dances; rhythmics; acting; duet dance; fencing; makeup; and piano. Students will also study the following theoretical subjects: art history, theatre history and ballet history. Upon completing the eight-year programme, students will be awarded the title of "ballet artist" and recognised as having completed secondary education. Graduates of the school will be admitted on a general basis when applying to higher education institutions in the arts.

Students will undergo practical training at the National Opera, performing in children's roles and in opera ballets. At the end of each school year, they will perform a solo concert in front of an audience.
In addition to the regular classes, the school has created an experimental class for children with some professional training. This class will run for five years and cover all the artistic disciplines included in the standard curriculum.
Prominent Bulgarian ballet artists are set to teach at the State Secondary Ballet School. The distinguished Soviet artist B. Babochkin will act as teacher. 

On behalf of the teachers and students, the director of the school, Stoyan Zhelev, promised that they would make every effort to successfully complete the training and prepare the qualified young ballet dancers needed by our country as soon as possible.

A congratulatory telegram has been sent to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers and General Secretary of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Vulko Chervenkov.

The opening of Bulgaria's first State Ballet School is further proof of the enormous care that the Bulgarian Communist Party and the People's Government are taking to develop the arts and promote the growth and success of our new, national socialist culture.

The first class of the State Ballet School graduated in 1958 with a concert at the Sofia National Opera. Among the first graduates was the world-renowned ballerina Vera Kirova.

Here is how the event was covered by BTA:

Gala concert of the first class of the ballet school

Sofia, May 31, 1958 /BTA/ - For days on end, the students and teachers of the State Secondary Ballet School in Sofia worked enthusiastically and diligently to prepare for the gala concert of the first graduating class. Today, 150 young men and women are studying at the only secondary ballet school in Bulgaria, which was established in 1951. They will become the reliable future talents of our young ballet art. After many years of hard work, 39 students - boys and girls from the regular course and the Bulgarian folk dance programme - have now successfully graduated from the ballet school.

This evening, on the stage of the Sofia National Opera, the graduates showcased their talents to their teachers, parents and the cultural community of the capital. The concert programme included solo and ensemble performances of classical ballet and national dances, choreographed by school teachers N. Izov, N. Kirazieva, L. Kolchakova, A. Gavrilov and V. Verbeva.

Each performance by the young ballet dancers was met with thunderous applause from the audience. Graduates B. Rizova, R. Mincheva, L. Parashkevov, I. Trifonov, V. Kirova, E. Dragostinova, M. Kotseva, Ts. Kolarova, I. Yotova, K. Lozanov and others revealed their potential as future ballet artists. The performance of the lively waltz 'Moskovski' by R. Mincheva and D. Tsenov was enthusiastically received. Folk dances were also performed with passion under the direction of K. Haralampiev.

The concert concluded with a special performance of the "Graduates' Waltz", which once again drew thunderous applause.

The ballet school's graduates and teachers were presented with an abundance of flowers.